Six-Year University Graduation Rates in Arizona

A six-year graduation rate is defined as the proportion of students completing their program within 150 percent of the normal time to completion (6 years for a 4-year college). The Student Right-to-Know Act, passed by Congress in 1990, requires all colleges to report these data. While one measure of college performance and student success, the six-year graduation rate is far from perfect. For instance, it doesn’t capture transfer students, those who enter as part-time students, or those who complete their degree after the 6-year window. With an increasing number of “non-traditional students,” such as those who are working full-time or raising children, a longer path to graduation may be necessary or preferable.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 58 percent of all first-time, full-time students who began seeking a bachelor's degree at a 4-year institution in fall 2004 completed a bachelor's degree at that institution within 6 years. National rates very significantly by type of institution. For the same 2004 cohort, the 6-year graduation rate at private nonprofit institutions was 65 percent, compared with 56 percent at public institutions and 28 percent at private for-profit institutions.